EXCLUSION ZONE:The NATO approval came amid reports that Syria is moving chemical weapons as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fights rebels seeking to oust him from power

Photo: Reuters

NATO on Tuesday approved member state Turkey’s request for Patriot missiles to defend its border against Syria following a series of blunt warnings to Damascus not to use chemical weapons.

As the conflict approached the 21-month mark with more than 41,000 people killed, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance’s decision reflected a “steadfast commitment” to preserving the security of its 28 member states.

“We say to anyone who would want to attack Turkey — don’t even think about it,” he said after announcing the decision at the end of the first day of a two-day meeting in Brussels.

NATO said in a statement that it had “agreed to augment Turkey’s air defense capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey, and to contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the alliance’s border.”

Germany, the Netherlands and the US have agreed to provide the Patriot missile batteries, which would come under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the statement said.

Stressing that the Patriot system was purely defensive, Rasmussen said technical discussions would follow about how many of the US-made Patriots would be deployed and where.

The NATO discussions came amid reports that Syria is moving chemical weapons as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fights rebels seeking to oust him.

“NATO members expressed grave concerns about reports that the Syrian regime is considering the use of chemical weapons. Any such action would be completely unacceptable and a clear breach of international law,” Rasmussen said.

Earlier, Rasmussen said he would “expect an immediate reaction from the international community” if Damascus were to use such weapons.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama warned al-Assad against using chemical weapons, saying there would be “consequences” for such an action.

France said it would take a “very strong position” against any chemical weapons use, though French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius stressed that reports on Syria moving its chemical arms stocks “have not been verified or confirmed.”

Confirmation of a Syrian chemical weapons threat “would demand an immediate reaction from the international community,” Fabius said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was also closely following the chemical weapons issue and sees things “the same way” as its ally, the US.

“We believe these weapons must not be used and must not fall into the hands of terrorist elements,” Netanyahu said.

Turkey welcomed NATO’s decision and reiterated that the weapons were solely for defensive purposes.

“The measures that will be taken by Turkey will in no case be used for offensive operations. This system is only slated for the defense of Turkish territory,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added that the US-made surface-to-air missiles would not in “any way be used to promote an air exclusion zone” over neighboring Syria.

Turkey’s request for the missiles has worried Russia, a longtime ally of Syria that is deeply suspicious of NATO’s motives.

After NATO talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier on Tuesday, Rasmussen had said deploying Patriots would be “an effective deterrent and in that way de-escalate the situation” along the border.